Vanilla Black

What they say

“Vanilla Black was established in 2004 with the intention of changing the image of vegetarian and vegan cuisine. We use as many local and small suppliers as possible: a cheesemaker in London, a microbrewery in South London, and some small wine producers, including an English sparkling wine company. We strive to serve a twist on traditional English and French classical dishes, reinvented as vegetarian food. The dishes we cook here are forward-thinking. Our food is challenging. It’s different. We’re smashing stereotypes.”

What we say

When we first ate at Vanilla Black, we didn’t even notice it was vegetarian until halfway through the meal. And that is a clever trick: to curate a post-minimalist, sexy, modern space with exciting, progressive dishes that just happen not to involve any meat or fish. When it opened ten years ago, I thought Vanilla Black might change the face of vegetarian restaurants in London, but it seems still to be ploughing a lonely furrow in that regard. So hats off to them for some serious perseverance – and some seriously good food.